This year, the Service Unit of Responsible Research Practices is celebrating not only its fourth anniversary but also a series of remarkable milestones. Based in the Vice Rectorate Research, Innovation, and International Affairs, the Service Unit of Responsible Research Practices plays a key role in promoting scientific excellence and strengthening the research ethics expertise of researchers at TU Wien. Marjo Rauhala, Head of the Unit and Senior Advisor for Research Ethics in the Vice Rectorate Research, Innovation, and International Affairs, plays a central role in this success story.

From a One-Person Show to a Committee 

“At the May meeting of the Research Ethics Committee, we reviewed our 100th ethics application,” says Marjo Rauhala happily. The fact that there is a Research Ethics Committee (REC) at TU Wien is no coincidence. The foundation for this was laid nearly a decade ago.

With a background in philosophy and biomedical ethics, Marjo Rauhala joined TU Wien 25 years ago and worked for many years as an embedded ethicist in research teams at the Faculty of Informatics. In 2016, Rauhala moved to the then-Gender Competence unit—where advising researchers on research ethics issues began. In 2019, Marjo Rauhala moved to what was then the Vice-Rectorate Research and Innovation, where, as Research Ethics Coordinator, Rauhala developed and implemented a dialogue-based, consultative approach between researchers and members of the newly constituted Research Ethics Committee.

“This dialogue benefits not only the researchers who come to us with their questions, but also the members of the Ethics Committee themselves. That hasn’t changed to this day,” Rauhala notes.

Shortly thereafter—in 2020—the pilot phase of the TU Wien REC began. The Committee grew from three to ten members. In 2023, the committee was formally established, and the number of submissions rose significantly. “The fact that we have already reviewed 100 ethics applications shows that there is a great need for ethical discussions and that technical universities, in particular, are confronted with issues of research ethics,” says Marjo Rauhala. 

Focus on New Topics

Not only do research topics change over time, but so do the ethical issues associated with them. New challenges are currently emerging, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence. Ethics expert Helmut Hönigmayer is responding to this by integrating the topic of AI into the REC’s review work. “It is important to respond early to technical innovations and the associated ethical challenges in order to remain at the cutting edge and play a pioneering role,” says Marjo Rauhala.

Ethics-by-Design Instead of Rigid Guidelines

For many researchers, review by an ethics committee is often seen as a necessary burden rather than a valuable part of the research process. Ethics committees are frequently associated with bureaucracy, excessive administrative burdens, and long waiting times. The TU Wien REC aims to specifically avoid this and takes a different approach: “Our goal is to guide researchers toward ‘ethics-by-design’ and improve research outcomes by addressing ethical issues right from the start of a project,” explains Marjo Rauhala. “Since this takes place through dialogue with REC members, open questions can be clarified directly during the meetings, while at the same time fostering a shared understanding of both the scientific endeavor and the ethical issues.”

The six-person Unit now also offers training, consulting, and empowerment initiatives for stakeholders both within and outside TU Wien. Through the “Mentors of Responsible Research Program,” coordinated by Lisa Sigl, the department is building a network of advocates who promote research ethics and research integrity across the faculties.

The department’s guiding principle—“Research ethics beyond compliance”—is far more than just a slogan: it is a commitment put into practice, as demonstrated, among other things, by the Horizon Europe project “CHANGER.” In this project,  Marjo Rauhala and Jonas Pfister are jointly developing new, tailored forms of ethics reviews that meet specific institutional needs, such as the approach taken by the TU Wien REC.

National and International Visibility

The fact that the Service Unit of Responsible Research Practices was established and that ethics reviews have come to play such a central role at TU Wien is not solely due to Marjo Rauhala. “Without institutional support, my vision could not have led to the creation of a separate service unit that is recognized internationally as a best-practice example,” Rauhala emphasizes.

Today, TU Wien is represented in numerous high-level European and national working groups and networks. This allows Marjo Rauhala to actively participate in the current international discourse on research ethics and research integrity.

One of these recently established networks is the TU Austria+ Research Ethics and Integrity Network, which consists of all universities in the TU Austria consortium as well as associated partners. The Unit of Responsible Research Practices will coordinate the joint activities during the first year.

“Finally, we expect the new guidelines for responsible research practices, which were presented to the Rectorate in May, to be adopted this summer and replace the 2007 Code of Conduct,” says Rauhala, looking ahead to the near future.

Contact

Marjo Rauhala
TU Wien
Service Unit of Responsible Research Practices
+43 1 58801 406 630
ethics@tuwien.ac.at 

Text: Sarah Link